A New Face - Opacum Land Trust
Transcription
A New Face - Opacum Land Trust
PO Box 233 Sturbridge, MA 01566 508-347-9144 www.opacumlt.org [email protected] March 2015 WORKING IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS TOWNS OF BRIMFIELD, BROOKFIELD, CHARLTON, EAST BROOKFIELD, HOLLAND, MONSON, NORTH BROOKFIELD, PALMER, SOUTHBRIDGE, STURBRIDGE, WALES, WARREN & WEST BROOKFIELD. S H OW IN G A N EW F A CE AT M ON S ON ’ S F LY NT Q U AR RY L A ND S By Leslie Duthie, Vice President of Opacum Land Trust and member of the Monson Conservation Commission Opacum Land Trust and its partner, the Town of Monson, are showing a “new face” at Monson’s Flynt Quarry Lands property on Margaret Street. Opacum members and our friends in town, have commented that they would love to see the massive walls of the former Monson Flynt granite quarry, once visible but now concealed by trees and brush. Driving by the quarry site you would not know the historic, and beautiful 30 foot high granite walls were there, marking an important period of Monson’s history. But this is changing as we re-expose this face of Monson history. Over the course of the last year, and through 2015, I am coordinating a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to create trails and historic interpretation at this important historic site. With permission from the Monson Board of Selectmen, and using grant funding, we are removing the trees and brush along a 150' section of the quarry wall, returning this local landmark to public view. According to the foresters doing this clearing, Scott Gerrish and Harrison Morin, most of the trees were young and relatively small in diameter. The cut logs and brush are being used to make brush piles to attract and shelter wildlife such as rabbits and birds. The new exposed quarry face will be part of the white-blazed historic interpretive trail of the Flynt Quarry Lands. First opened as a quarry in 1809, high-quality granite for construction (the Springfield Armory) was actively quarried from this site from about 1865 until 1935. Exquisite examples of Monson granite can be seen all over town including buildings such as Memorial Hall, the Monson Free Library, St. Patrick’s Church and the Unitarian Church. Stone from this quarry was noted for its evenness of texture and durability, ranking it as one of the most valuable building stones in the United States. It was shipped around much of the east coast and as far as Kansas, Illinois and Iowa. At its peak, there were over 200 quarrymen and 40 master stone cutters, some of whom came from Italy, working in the Monson granite quarry. Since closure of the quarry, the forest has reclaimed much of the site making it perfect for passive recreation and open space. Evidence of the quarry operation is still plainly visible across the site, including drilling holes, split and broken stone, anchor pins from the booms and other equipment that would have operated there, and railroad spikes are still periodically found along the trails. Today the 165 acre Flynt Quarry Lands property is owned by the Town of Monson and protected with a conservation easement held by the Opacum Land Trust. The property is open for the public’s benefit and I am coordinating efforts to build and improve the trail system and add interpretive materials. A new trail guide and interpretive kiosk are in the planning stages and I want to thank all of you who helped the town acquire this property and who have been helping to build and maintain the trails there. You can do more to help with this on-going project and help support good things like this in Monson and the Opacum Land Trust communities by making a donation. f ro m t h e E x e c u t i v e D i re c t o r L O TS TO L O OK F O RWA R D TO W IT H O PAC UM TH IS S PR IN G A N D S U M M ER I t has been a tough winter, but from all the animal sign we found on our February 7th hike at Opacum Woods in Sturbridge, wildlife is still alive doing its best to get by. Board of Directors member Scott Gerrish and Opacum volunteer Kay Hunt, both of whom have excellent skills “reading” the forest and tracking wildlife, led 19 Opacum members and guests (all of whom were wise enough to bring snow shoes) on a winter exploration of this property. We saw the tracks for deer, coyote, squirrel, gray fox, mink, fisher, and the highlight, a long path of otter tracks, including two different slides where they had a great time sliding down steep slopes. Scott and Kay showed us how other animals were using the well-trod deer paths, and that the deer are using the newly constructed bridge over Honey Brook (not that they really need to). See photos on page 6. A month prior to that, on January 3rd, Opacum’s Vice President and Monson Conservation Commission member, Leslie Duthie, led us over bare ground (remember what that looks like?) at the Flynt Quarry Lands property in Monson. Back then, there was no snow on the ground, but as we finished our hike, it had begun to fall, sending us into our current weather pattern. Between the time I write this, and the time you read this, we will have set our clocks forward an hour for daylight savings time, dramatically marking the inevitable change of seasons , and spring and summer will soon be here. And hooray for that, because we have many programs and events to bring us together this spring and summer, and to get you and your friends out into the woods to learn and experience what nature has to offer us – turn to pages 4 and 5 of this newsletter for a full listing. If you have not signed up to get our email news, please do so by emailing us at [email protected] and just putting in the subject line “sign up for enews”. That way we can keep you informed of new activities we may add to our schedule. I am pleased to welcome Mark Conners of Brimfield as our newest member of the Opacum Board of Directors. Mark is an experienced businessman and human resources manager, bringing critical experience to us, along with his personal commitment to serving his community and conserving land. March 28th is our annual meeting and pancake breakfast – a fun and informal calling-in of our members and kindred spirits who enjoy the outdoors and support Opacum’s efforts to protect just a small part of our diminishing wild lands. I hope to see you there or at one of our many events this year! 2014 - 2015 Volunteer Directors & Officers Jennifer Ohop ..................................... President Leslie A. Duthie ............................Vice President Jennifer V. Morrison .......................... Treasurer Howie Fife ..............................................Director ................................... Stewardship & Properties Alan F. Smith .........................................Director, ................................................. Nominating Chair Ed Hood, Executive Director Scott Gerrish ..........................................Director Mark Conners..........................................Director 2 f ro m t h e P re s i d e n t O PA CU M C E LEB RATES IT S Q U IN D E CE N N IA L ! O n Sunday, January 23, 2000 a small group of people met at the Holland Town Hall. We were concerned about how things were happening to the landscape in our community. Large subdivisions were appearing where the woods used to be, and shaded pools once filled with frogs were now detention basins, or worse, covered in pavement. Progress was happening – not that it is a bad thing – but we were concerned because there didn’t seem to be anyone speaking out on behalf of Mother Nature and trying to preserve at least a piece of it. On that day Opacum Land Trust was born, or actually, it was the day we picked out a name and got to work. While the land trust wasn’t formally incorporated until June 20th of that year, that is the day this land trust became real, an entity that would be proactive about land conservation in south-central Massachusetts. It’s hard to believe that we met in Holland fifteen years ago, and since that time Opacum has conserved more than 1,000 acres of land in our thirteen town service area. How fitting to celebrate our 15th year, our Quindecennial, back where it all got started - in Holland! I hope that you will be able to join us on Saturday, March 28 at the Holland Community Center. Doors open at 9:00am and we will be cooking up a plethora of pancakes, accompanied by homemade fruit toppings, local maple syrup, sausages, coffee and juice to thank you, our members and donors, who have made and continue to make Opacum Land Trust successful and strong. Following breakfast (10:00am) we will hold our annual meeting. Please come, eat and see what we are up to! If breakfast isn’t your thing, or, if you just need to fuel up before you go for a hike on one of Opacum’s trails, how about joining us for dinner? On April 23 we will be at Table 3’s 420 Main Street in Sturbridge, surrounded by murder and intrigue. Reserve your tickets now, a limited number will be sold and this is a popular and fun event. In 2015 there will be many opportunities for you to celebrate fifteen years of Opacum. Your support has enabled Opacum to ramp-up our ability to offer more events. An event, be it a bird walk, trail day or dinner, is a way to reach out and make more people aware of Opacum. They are “friend-raisers” and, of course, they are fun! Be sure to check out our events listed in this newsletter and mark your calendar or hang it on the fridge. And bring a friend! Opacum has conserved more than 1,000 acres of land in 15 years. Jennifer Ohop, President 3 Mark Your Calendars Now!! Opacum’s Fifteenth Annual Meeting! Join us for Pancakes Saturday, March 28th Murder Mystery Dinner Coming Again in April 9:00 to 10:30 am Holland Community (Senior) Center, 27 Sturbridge Road, Holland, MA 01521 We will be cooking up plenty of pancakes, accompanied by homemade fruit toppings, local maple syrup, sausages, coffee and juice. Our meeting will start at 10:00, but we’ll keep serving pancakes if the hungry keep arriving. Hear about Opacum’s ongoing work and meet our new Executive Director, Ed Hood. We will be joined by a special guest— Wales Resident and new Chief Operating Officer of the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environment, Mike Valanzola. We can’t promise, but we’re HOPING the ice will be gone, and the crocuses will be up! Please let us know you’re coming! How many pancakes shall we make? Thursday Evening, April 23, 2015 Table 3 Restaurant in Sturbridge, 6:00 - 9:00pm Supporting the work of Opacum Land Trust with a dinner out and a Murder Mystery program in the beautiful post and beam function room of Table 3 Restaurant Group in Sturbridge: 420 Main Street, across from The Cedar Street Restaurant. Colonel Mustard Presents will perform their murder mystery “Clueless in Upton Abbey” while you enjoy an Italian Buffet dinner. Doors open at 6:00pm with a cash bar. Our program will get under way just before 7:00pm. Tickets are $50, or $40 for Opacum members. Tickets are available at • Our Annual Meeting on March 28th • The Bird Store and More, 4 Cedar Street, Sturbridge • Call us us at 508-347-9144 or email us at [email protected] and drop a check in the mail to Opacum at PO Box 233, Sturbridge 01566. We will mail or hold your tickets. Opacum Land Trust programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Please bring your friends and spread the word! Your donations are always welcome so that we can continue to offer outstanding events! 4 MORE UPCOMING EVENTS Wild Edible Plants with Russ Cohen Thursday, June 4, 2015, 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Running Pines Woods, Brimfield New England's Changing Landscape: Past, Present & Future Saturday April 18, 1:30pm at the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, Wales (rescheduled from January 24th snowstorm) Parking is limited, as is the size of the group we can take, so please RSVP if you intend to join us, to [email protected] or 508-347-9144 (please leave a message), and clearly provide your name and contact information so that we can get back to you with the address. Using archaeological, historical and early photographic documentation, Ed Hood, Executive Director of Opacum Land Trust, will provide an overview of the human impact on the land, and how the landscape we see in Wales today is the product of the continuous process of changing human land use. Using new research from the field of land conservation, Ed will provide insights into the potential look and feel of towns like Wales in the future – a future that is being shaped by our actions today. The Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary is located at 30 Peck Rd in Wales, MA. Please RSVP to 413-267-9654 or via email [email protected]. Tornado Hike Saturday, May 16; 9:00 am to Noon Co-hosted with the Massachusetts Tree Farmers Association. Walk with foresters, birders, ecologists and Opacum Land Trust members and friends to get an up-close look at the damage caused by the June 2011 tornado and to see how the woods are recovering from the storm. This is peak time to look for migrating birds, bring your binoculars or just take in the scenery of the tornado-scarred landscape of Brimfield! We will meet at the pull-off and parking from the east-bound lane of Route 20, just east of the turns for Dearth Hill Rd and Monson Rd. Google map reference: 193 Palmer Rd., Brimfield, MA 01010, 42.117419, -72.237382 Opacum will provide coffee and some light refreshments to get our guest energized for this program. Sturbridge’s Changing Landscape: Past, Present & Future Thursday, May 28, 7:00 pm, The Publick House, Sturbridge with the Sturbridge Historical Society. Watch for more information. Russ has just completed his 40th year of teaching courses about wild edibles. This past year, he led over three dozen classes/walks for over two dozen different organizations. All You Can Eat Buffet Feast at the Publick House, Sturbridge, to benefit the Opacum Land Trust and The Sturbridge Lions Club Monday, June 15, 2015 Seating One: 4:30 - 6:15pm Seating Two: 6:30 - 7:30pm Each Monday the Publick House gives back to the community by hosting a delicious fundraising feast for local organizations. Casual Dining, Open Seating, No Reservations. Tickets, however, can be purchased in advance: $13 for adults, children 4-12, $5. Tickets can be purchased from any Opacum director or by calling 508-347-9144 or emailing [email protected] A Hike and Tour of the Tantiusques Reservation, Site of the historic Sturbridge Leadmine Saturday, June 20th, 2:00 to 3:30 The tour will be led by our Executive Director Ed Hood, an archaeologist and a Corporate Trustee of the Trustees of Reservations. Meet at the parking lot for the Tantiusques Reservation (park carefully along Leadmine Road, if needed). More information about the site and its location can be found at the Trustees of Reservations web site, http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/centralma/tantiusques.html. For additional information or to RSVP, call 508-347-9144 (please leave a message) or email Opacum at [email protected]. 5 Opacum Woods Winter Walk on February 7th. Below: Kay Hunt and Scott Gerrish with Jackie Kulig (center), who won our woods and wildlife trivia contest, but just barely – it took a “sudden death” question round for her to achieve final victory! Above: Scott Gerrish identifies the types of woodpeckers who have been foraging on a dead tree by the type of damage they create in the wood. JUMBLE... Be the first to solve this word jumble and get an Opacum T-Shirt! Unscramble the smaller “jumbles” on the left; use the circled letters to complete the final answer to the riddle! Email your response to membership @opacumlt.org using WORD JUMBLE for the subject line. We’ll use the email time stamp to determine the winner! We’ll announce the winner at the Annual Meeting! 6 L A N D O WN E R T O O L F O R C O N S E RVATI O N : C H A P TE R 61 C U R R E N T U S E P R O G R A M Fletcher Clark, Service Forester for the North Quabbin Region, Department of Conservation and Recreation M assachusetts is the 3rd most densely populated state, but is also ranked 8th in the highest percentage of forest cover in the country. Our woods provide invaluable benefits to the community by filtering water and air, giving us a sense of place and rural character, and providing wildlife habitat, wood products, and periodic income to landowners. Unfortunately, changing economic and land use patterns, and rising property taxes, are forcing farmers and forest landowners to consider selling their land to alleviate those tax burdens. To help ameliorate the loss of our forests, agricultural and open space lands in Massachusetts, legislation has authorized three programs which reduce the tax assessments of certain types of privately owned lands. In return for a lower property tax rate, the property owners make a commitment to keep their land in one or more of these uses—forest, open space, or farm lands. The three current use programs are Chapter 61A – Agriculture, Chapter 61 – Forestry, and Chapter 61B – Open Space and Recreational Land. Many of the lands enrolled in these programs are small woodlots or farms near urban or suburban areas. As town services expand, so do the taxes on these lands. Chapter 61 programs allow many parcels to remain undeveloped as a direct result of reduced property taxes. Likewise, the benefits to protecting these lands have a long lasting positive environmental, social, and economic impact both locally and regionally. Chapter 61 programs require an initial 10 year commitment and re-certification every 10 years thereafter. Each program assesses the land according to its current use rather than its development potential. To qualify for Chapter 61A classification there is a 5 acre minimum and the land must be used for agricultural purposes and demonstrate sales of farm products produced on the land equal to $500 per year. The landowner must file with their town assessor’s office every year. Eligibility for Chapter 61 – forest land classification, requires 10 acres of continuous forest cover. Chapter 61 requires a 10 year forest management plan approved by a state forester that includes some level of forest management activities. The management plan only needs to be filed once for the entire 10 year period. For those more interested in open space, recreational use, and a more passive approach to their land, Chapter 61B offers another opportunity for landowners to reduce their tax burden. Like Chapter 61A, there is no requirement for a forest management plan (unless one decides to conduct a timber harvest). There is a 5 acre minimum and the Chapter 61 status needs to be filed with the town assessor’s office every year. The Department of Conservation and Recreation Service Forestry program acts as the state agent certifying forestland under the three separate programs. Landowners are allowed to switch between programs without penalty. However, if one were to opt out of the program, sells for another use, or changes to another use not consistent with these programs, they are subject to a Conveyance Tax or a Roll-back Tax. Additionally, a condition of enrollment into any of these current use classification programs is that the town has the opportunity to exercise the right of first refusal if the property is to be sold and converted to a different use (i.e. development). If you or a friend are interested in maintaining and protecting your land, and reducing its tax burden, then the Chapter 61 programs are a great opportunity for the landowner, and a good step in protecting and conserving the farms, forests, and open space of the Commonweatlh. For more information on Chapter 61 programs visit the DCR Service Forestry Program online at http://masswoods.net/landowner-programs/chapter-61current-use-tax-programs 7 Mark Your Calendars Now! Opacum’s Annual Mtg March 28 Murder Mystery Coming Again! PANCAKES, COFFEE, FRIENDS CLUELESS IN UPTON ABBEY Saturday morning, March 28th, 9:00 am Holland Community (Senior) Center Thursday Evening, April 23rd, 6:00 - 9:00pm T 3 Chefs & Catering in Sturbridge. Pancakes, homemade fruit toppings, local maple syrup, sausages, coffee and juice! What more could you ask for?? Have fun while supporting the work of Opacum Land Trust with a dinner out and a Murder Mystery production in a beautiful post and beam function room. Our meeting will start at 10:00. Hear about Opacum’s ongoing work and meet our new Executive Director, Ed Hood. We can’t promise, but we’re HOPING the ice will be gone, and the crocuses will be up! Remember, the pancakes are on us! The Colonel Mustard Presents will perform their murder mystery Clueless in Upton Abbey while you enjoy an Italian Buffet dinner with a cannoli bar for dessert. If you missed last year, don’t make the same mistake this year! See details on page 6. PO Box 233, Sturbridge MA 01566 info@ opacumlt.org 508-347-9144 www.opacumlt.org Opacum Land Trust is a non-profit conservation organization. Founded in 2000, our mission is to conserve, protect and preserve, in their natural condition, the lands and waters of South Central Massachusetts for the benefit of present and future generations. All donations are fully tax deductible, annual memberships start at $25.